[11/30/04 - 12:00 AM]FOX Rings in New Year with Series Premieres and Returning Favorites in January

[via press release from FOX]

FOX RINGS IN NEW YEAR WITH SERIES PREMIERES AND RETURNING FAVORITES IN JANUARY

TWO NEW DRAMAS PREMIERE: "JONNY ZERO" (JAN. 14) AND "POINT PLEASANT" (JAN. 20) MEGA-HIT "AMERICAN IDOL" IGNITES IT'S FOURTH SPECTACULAR SEASON JAN. 18 AND 19 "24" STARTS THE CLOCK ON A SUSPENSEFUL NEW DAY WITH SPECIAL 2-HOUR EVENT JAN. 9 AND NEW TIME PERIOD JAN. 10 PARIS AND NICOLE GET BACK TO BUSINESS IN "THE SIMPLE LIFE 3: INTERNS" PREMIERING JAN. 26 MAC IS BACK WITH BACK-TO-BACK EPISODES OF "THE BERNIE MAC SHOW" STARTING JAN. 14

FOX has a New Year's resolution everyone can keep. Break out the 2005 calendar and start the year off right with a fresh new wave of programming - including brand-new dramas JONNY ZERO and POINT PLEASANT and the highly anticipated return of AMERICAN IDOL, 24, THE SIMPLE LIFE and THE BERNIE MAC SHOW - beginning January 2005 on FOX.

The gritty drama JONNY ZERO, from the acclaimed team behind "The West Wing" and "ER," will take viewers on an action-packed ride through the streets of New York City as ex-con Jonny Calvo (Franky G.) returns to his old neighborhood, trying to make amends for the mistakes he has made. A former bouncer, Jonny has a mythic reputation, and his old boss, Garrett (Ritchie Coster), a corrupt club owner, will stop at nothing to get him back on the payroll. But Jonny struggles to go legitimate, befriending wannabe hip-hop renaissance man Random (GQ) and a fellow lost soul, troubled ex-stripper Danni Styles (Brennan Hesser).

In the pilot episode, Jonny is released from prison without a job or a place to live. In order to make ends meet he takes a job at Captain Jack's restaurant as a bus boy and kids' party entertainer. One night he befriends a man, Martin Styles (Victor Slezak), who is looking for his runaway daughter, Danni. Jonny agrees to help this man find his daughter, but when he goes to report back to Styles, he finds him being assaulted by a thug. Subsequently, Danni is kidnapped and it is up to Jonny to find her and pass on her father's dying wish. Meanwhile, Special Agent Stringer (Chris Bauer) informs Jonny that he has walked into the middle of a Mob war on the series premiere of JONNY ZERO Friday, Jan. 14 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

It's more funny than embarrassing when Bryana accidentally walks in on Bernie getting out of the bathtub and catches a glimpse of his "privacy." Bernie reprimands her, but a few days later at parent night at Bryana's school, he is horrified to see that she has drawn a picture of him naked in the bathroom with his privacy exposed. He then realizes that Bryana and Jordan are too old to be sharing a room and moves Bryana in with Vanessa. But Vanessa feels invaded and is not making it easy on her new roommate. Wanda and Bernie decide to add another room onto the house for Bryana and Wanda wants to re-do part of the master bedroom as well on the "My Privacy" episode of THE BERNIE MAC SHOW Friday, Jan. 14 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT).

The award-winning series 24 will kick off its fourth season of clock-stopping suspense with an explosive two-hour season premiere Sunday, Jan. 9 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). This special Sunday-night broadcast will air on the same day as the NFC Wild Card game and 24's regular time period premiere will follow the next night - Monday, Jan. 10 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). The gripping drama will then unfold on a weekly basis without repeats or preemptions all the way to the heart-stopping season finale.

Last season, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), who was in charge of a special field operations unit of the Counter Terrorist Unit, fought to stop a viral terrorism threat before it could kill millions of people. Season four begins 18 months later with the episode "Day 4: 7:00 am-8:00 am." CTU is now headed by Erin Driscoll (Alberta Watson), a steely government agent who made firing Jack one of her first priorities upon taking over. After the explosion of a commuter train, Jack, who is now working for Secretary of Defense James Heller (William Devane) and is secretly romantically involved with Heller's married daughter, Audrey (Kim Raver), suddenly finds himself heading back to CTU for a meeting with Driscoll on Heller's behalf.

The wait is almost over! AMERICAN IDOL, the ultimate in family viewing and the No. 1 show on television last season, has set the stage to return in January. Last May, approximately 65 million votes were cast in the season finale, crowning Fantasia the third AMERICAN IDOL after previous winners Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard. Since then America has been anxiously waiting for the biggest show of the year to return.

AMERICAN IDOL is back for its fourth season and another quest to discover America's most talented singer. Host Ryan Seacrest and America's favorite judges, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, all return to lend their professional expertise, personal comments and often-unwanted criticism to this season's crop of aspiring singers. An all-new season with new contestants and the best and worst of auditions from seven cities around the nation begins with a special two-hour season premiere episode Tuesday, Jan. 18 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and a special one-hour episode Wednesday, Jan. 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Some will get the judges' approval and others will learn the hard truth! Tune in to see who survives and who goes home!

Something wicked this way comes to a usually quiet New Jersey beach town, when a sudden, violent storm washes in more than the tide in the new drama series POINT PLEASANT premiering Thursday, Jan. 20 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

After local lifeguard Jesse Parker (Sam Page) sees the beautiful Christina Nickson (Elisabeth Harnois) floating in the ocean, he dives into the dangerous waters to save her life and bring her to safety. Little does Jesse know that his heroic rescue heralds the beginning of all hell breaking loose.

Jesse brings Christina to the home of local doctor Ben Kramer (Richard Burgi). The Kramers, including Ben's wife Meg (Susan Walters) and daughter Judy (Aubrey Dollar), take an instant liking to Christina and invite her stay with them as she searches for clues to her past and attempts to find her mother - coincidentally a Point Pleasant native - whom Christina never knew. Unbeknownst to Christina, her presence is having a profound effect on Point Pleasant's inhabitants, awakening repressed feelings, unlocking secret desires and heightening emotions. Tensions flare between Jesse, who finds himself inexplicably drawn to Christina, and his best friend, Terry (Brent Weber), who secretly lusts after Jesse's possessive girlfriend, Paula (Cameron Richardson). Paula's hot-to-trot mother, Amber (Dina Meyer), attempts to rekindle her relationship with the good Dr. Kramer. And long-buried secrets kept by Jesse's parents, Police Captain Logan (Alex Carter) and God-fearing Sarah (Clare Carey) begin to surface, especially when the darkly mysterious and charismatic Thomas Boyd (Grant Show) moves into town and insinuates himself into Christina's new life.

As Christina looks for answers to her mother's disappearance, she will come to realize that she has never known her "real" father either - for Christina is the offspring of a mortal woman and the Devil. While Christina struggles to control the demons inside her (and the powers that come with it), the fight for her soul has begun and the town of POINT PLEASANT has turned into the ultimate battleground of good versus evil.

After the demons it's time for the divas when THE SIMPLE LIFE 3: INTERNS premieres Wednesday, Jan. 26 (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT). This newest edition of THE SIMPLE LIFE follows "celebutantes" and best friends Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie as they pack up their Louis Vuitton briefcases for a trip around the Northeast via Greyhound Bus. The outrageous fish-out-of-bottled-water series chronicles the adventures of Hilton and Richie, who are again stripped of their cell phones, cash and credit cards, as they go from hot tickets to bus tickets. Departing from New York, the girls must navigate their way through this wild bus ride through towns, host families and internships. American business will never be the same again.

Coming to the FOX schedule in March will be the Victor Fresco comedy LIFE ON A STICK. Laz (Zachary Knighton) and Fred (Charlie Finn), both 18, have been friends forever. Just out of high school, and unsure what they want to do with their lives, they take jobs at a mall food court, at the lame "Yippee, Hot Dogs" run by the always yelling Mr. Hut (Maz Jobrani). There, Laz meets the girl of his dreams, the lovely and strong-willed Lily (Rachelle Lefevre).

Optimistic but not ambitious, Laz cuts a deal with his well-meaning but superficial dad, Rick (Matthew Glave), and equally superficial stepmom, Michelle (Amy Yasbeck), which allows Laz to continue living rent-free at home. All Laz has to do is keep an eye on his stepsister (Michelle's daughter), the angry, angst-ridden, 16-year-old Molly (Saige Thompson). Michelle and Rick hope that Laz will help socialize Molly and get her on the right track with the boy she likes - the sweet and very honest Jasper (Ryan Belleville). Rounding out the family is the perfect and wise 8-year-old Gus (Frankie Ryan), the only product of Rick and Michelle's union and the object of their obsession.

It's like unwrapping a new gift every week on THE SWAN, as self-proclaimed "ugly ducklings" are given the unique opportunity to realize their dreams. The unscripted series that turns a fairy tale into reality, THE SWAN revitalizes women who are stuck in a rut by revealing their beauty and confidence through physical, mental and emotional transformations with the help of a team of specialists. Each week this season, two women and their stunning transformations are featured, with one of the contestants selected to compete in the Swan Pageant. The second season culminates on its two-hour finale Monday, Jan. 3 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) with the spectacular pageant in which one woman will be crowned "The Swan," winning hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.